From its base in Killygordon, Co Donegal, Multicrete Precast Concrete Ltd has established itself as one of the North West’s leading suppliers of precast concrete products and ready-mix concrete.
Founded almost five decades ago by Pat Lafferty, the family-run business has grown steadily through a commitment to quality, customer service and continual investment, while remaining firmly rooted in the local community.
Today, the company employs 45 people and serves customers throughout Donegal, the wider North West region and across the border in Northern Ireland. Despite changing market conditions and ongoing economic pressures, Multicrete continues to invest in its operations, expand its product offering and support major housing developments on both sides of the border.
The business traces its origins back to 1977 when Pat Lafferty established the company specialising in precast concrete products. Through hard work, innovation and a focus on customer needs, the operation steadily expanded, becoming a limited company in 1995. Pat’s wife Joan has also played an important role in the business over the years, helping to build the strong family ethos that remains at the heart of the company today.
In 2010, Multicrete diversified further by entering the ready-mix concrete sector, a move that has strengthened its position within the regional construction industry and enabled it to offer customers a more comprehensive range of products and services.
Now working alongside his father as director of the company, Patrick Lafferty is helping to guide the next phase of Multicrete’s development while maintaining the values on which the business was built.
Like many businesses operating within the construction sector, Multicrete has experienced some fluctuations in market activity over the past year. Rising costs and economic uncertainty have had an impact across the industry, although Patrick remains cautiously optimistic about the outlook.
“At the minute, it’s a stickier than last year,” he explained. “It’s just not as steady and the price of things, I suppose, has had an impact on that.”
While private residential construction has slowed somewhat, larger housing projects continue to generate significant demand for the company’s products.
“We have housing developments on-going with a few different contractors that would be for the Council,” said Patrick.
“Then across the border into Strabane there’d be a lot of new houses going up.
“While the private houses have slowed down a bit, there’s definitely a lot of housing estates and housing developments going on north and south of the border.”
The continued investment in social and private housing developments throughout the region has helped provide a solid pipeline of work for Multicrete, whose products are regularly specified across a broad range of residential construction projects.
A key factor in the company’s continued success has been its willingness to invest in new technology and production capabilities. This commitment remains as strong as ever, with a significant upgrade currently underway at the Killygordon facility.
“We’re just putting in a new production line at the minute for quite a few new precast products,” Patrick revealed. “That line should be in within the next month.”
The new production line represents another important milestone for the company and will further enhance its ability to meet customer demand while expanding its range of precast concrete solutions.
Alongside investment in manufacturing, Multicrete has also continued to strengthen its transport and logistics capabilities. Efficient delivery remains a crucial component of the business, ensuring products reach customers quickly and reliably across a wide geographical area.
“We have 30 trucks in the fleet at the minute,” Patrick explaines. “We recently added a couple of new mixers, we also have a new off loader coming shortly and a couple of new tractor units.
“One of those is coming from McDonnell Commercials (Volvo) and the other is coming from McElvaney Motors (Scania).”
The size and quality of the company’s fleet enables Multicrete to provide a dependable service to contractors, developers and individual customers throughout the region. Continued investment in modern vehicles also reflects the company’s long-term confidence in the market and its determination to maintain high service standards.
While investment in equipment and facilities is important, Patrick believes the company’s greatest strength remains its people and the personal service it provides.
“It’s the quality service and the fact that there’s a face to the name,” he said.
“It’s me and my father working here, there’s no managers or anything involved. It’s me and himself that manage it, so if there’s an issue or a problem then someone can always ring us.
“It’s not a 9 to 5; they can ring at any time and people seem to like that.”
That direct relationship with customers has helped Multicrete build a strong reputation throughout the North West over many years.
In an industry where reliability and trust are essential, the ability to speak directly with the people making decisions within the business continues to be highly valued by contractors and clients alike.
The family-run structure also contributes to a positive working environment for employees, many of whom have spent a significant portion of their careers with the company.
“The staff that we have here are all local people and a lot of them have been here a long time,” Patrick noted.
The loyalty of the workforce reflects the strong community connections that have always been central to Multicrete’s success. As one of the area’s significant employers, the company continues to play an important role in supporting the local economy while providing stable, long-term employment opportunities.
Looking ahead, Patrick remains focused on maintaining steady growth and ensuring the business continues to thrive despite wider economic challenges.
“We just want to keep busy here,” he stated. “Hopefully, things will hold up. There was a lot of uncertainty there for a while with the price of the diesel, but it’s seemed to level out and hopefully it hasn’t had too much of an effect on people.”
After nearly 50 years in business, Multicrete’s story is one of resilience, adaptability and family commitment. From its beginnings as a small precast concrete operation founded by Pat Lafferty in 1977 to its current position as a major supplier employing 45 people, the company has consistently evolved to meet the changing needs of the construction sector.
With a new production line nearing completion, an expanding fleet and strong involvement in housing developments across the North West, Multicrete is well positioned for the future. Under the continued leadership of Pat and Patrick Lafferty, supported by a dedicated local workforce, the Donegal-based company looks set to remain a key player in the region’s construction industry for many years to come.
Multicrete Precast Concrete Ltd
The Bower,
Killygordon,
Co. Donegal,
F93 DK54.
Telephone: 074 914 9103
Email: [email protected]
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, Autumn 2026, Vol 12 No 10
featured, Multicrete Precast Concrete
